On paper, they have luxury – the second-biggest purse at the auction, INR 43.40 crore with nine slots to fill, four of them overseas – but that money has to replace Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Devon Conway, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Matheesha Pathirana in one cycle.

The retained core is batting heavy: Gaikwad, Samson, Dube, Brevis, Dhoni, and domestic batters like Ayush Mhatre and Urvil Patel. Bowling is functional rather than intimidating – Noor Ahmad and Shreyas Gopal in spin, plus a clutch of Indian seamers around Nathan Ellis as the fulcrum.

That is why CSK’s 2026 auction boils down to three interlocking calls: Ravi Bishnoi as spin anchor, one of Cameron Green or Venkatesh Iyer as the primary balance piece, and Liam Livingstone as the contingency if Green’s price explodes.

Ravi Bishnoi as the non-negotiable Indian pillar

Start with the one that feels almost compulsory. The trade that sent Jadeja and Curran to Rajasthan in exchange for Samson solved CSK’s long-term wicketkeeping problem but ripped out their left-arm spin and lower-order bowling all-rounder in one go.

In that context, Ravi Bishnoi is one of the most logical Indian targets on the entire list. He is one of only two Indians to list himself at the maximum base price of INR 2 crore, alongside Venkatesh Iyer, and he enters the auction as a proven middle-overs wicket-taker in the T20 format.

For CSK, Bishnoi offers three crucial advantages:

• A genuine strike wrist-spinner to pair with Noor Ahmad or even lead the spin attack at Chepauk.
• An Indian bowler who can play all games, freeing overseas slots for power-hitting and pace.
• A three-to-five-year investment at 25, rather than a stop-gap senior pro.

Given the lack of elite Indian spin in the pool, Bishnoi’s realistic range is probably INR 9-11 crore. If CSK land him for around 10, their purse drops to INR 33.40 cr with eight spots left- still healthy, but it tightens the margin for what comes next.

Cameron Green vs Venkatesh Iyer: What kind of an all-rounder do CSK want?

The second axis is philosophical: Do CSK want an overseas seam bowling all-rounder who can sit in their top four, or a domestic left-handed batter who reshapes their batting order and offers part-time overs?

Cameron Green, also in the INR 2 crore band, is widely tipped to be one of the costliest players at this auction, with CSK and KKR flagged as the two franchises best placed to break the bank for him.

From a Chennai lens, Green is almost the Jadeja-Curran replacement inverted:

• Batting from No.3 to 5, giving flexibility around Gaikwad and Samson.
• Pace-bowling overs in the powerplay and middle, easing pressure on Ellis and the Indian quicks.
• A long-term structural piece they can lock in as the spine of a new core with Ruturaj and Samson.

If his price lands in the INR 16-18 crore band, pairing Green with Bishnoi at around 10 means 26-28 crore spent on two players. That leaves INR 15-17 crore for seven slots, including at least one specialist death bowler and bench depth. It’s doable, but CSK would have to avoid a second marquee splash and live largely in the INR 1-4 crore bracket thereafter.

Venkatesh Iyer, the other Indian at an INR 2 crore base, is a different kind of solution.

He gives CSK:

• A tall, left-handed option who can open or bat at three/four, breaking up a right-heavy core of Gaikwad-Samson-Brevis.
• Occasional medium-pace overs that function as a sixth-bowling option rather than a primary seam.

Because his recent returns have been modest, Venky is more likely to settle in the INR 6-8 crore range. A Bishnoi and Iyer combination would then cost CSK about INR 17 cr, leaving around 26.40 cr for seven slots – far more breathing room to still buy a high-end overseas quick and a secondary Indian all-rounder.

The trade-off is clear: Green gives a higher ceiling in one slot, Iyer gives more freedom everywhere else.

Liam Livingstone as the Green back-up plan

If the Green bidding war crosses the line where CSK’s remaining squad starts to look thin. Liam Livingstone is the obvious pivot. He sits in the same INR 2 cr bracket, offers brutal power-hitting in the middle order, and bowls both off-spin and leg-spin – a skillset that becomes particularly attractive in turning Chepauk surfaces.

Realistically, Livingstone’s range is a shade lower than Green’s – something like INR 9-12 crore, depending on how much franchises trust his consistency. Plug him into the puzzle:

Bishnoi at 10 + Livingstone at 11 = 21 crore spent, leaving INR 22.40 cr for seven players.

That budget easily accommodates a premium overseas death bowler (re-buying Pathirana or targeting another gun quick in the 7-9 crore range), plus one more Indian all-rounder and depth picks across batting and pace.

So, the fork in the road is not just about names; it’s about shape.

A Bishnoi + Green outcome gives CSK a spectacular top-end XI but a lighter bench.

A Bishnoi + Iyer or Bishnoi + Livingstone path gives them more chips to fix bowling and depth while still significantly raising their ceiling.

For a team rebuilding after its first wooden spoon, that balance between star power and structural stability might be the single most important decision Chennai make on auction day.